A Travel Guide to France

France remains as one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. Based on the report released by the {French Government Tourist Office} in 2010, the country attracted 78.95 million foreign tourists. If you’re planning to visit France this year then here are some helpful guidelines for you.

Bring your phone with you:

It’s a must to bring your phone wherever you go. Cell phones, especially smartphones, work as a communicator in case of emergency, companion during boring long drives, and translator. Sonico GmbH introduced its award-winning tool called iTranslate. It helps people break down the language barrier easily. You translate words, phrases and text between more than 60 languages. iTranslate version 6.0.1 is now available on iTunes.

Your mobile phone will also be a good companion during long drives, especially if you’re from just a nearby European country and planning to visit France. You can install fun and exciting games on your smartphone such as partypoker.fr/how_to_play.html.

France is deemed to be the birthplace of poker (from its old card game of ‘Pogue’). You can certainly find many casinos in the country offering poker tables and even hosting poker tournaments. One of the most famous casinos in the country is the Aviation Club de France in Paris.

But why even bother dressing up just to play poker, when you can enjoy poker in the comfort of your hotel room? Online poker websites such as Party Poker have a huge number of French followings. Due to the changes to the French gambling law in 2010, it is now legal to play online poker on government-approved websites. Today, the online poker industry in the country shows very promising results.

Follow appropriate traveler’s etiquettes:

Most of the time, travelers forget that they need to adjust to the cultural norm of the country they’re visiting. Remember that traveling in a foreign land is a learning experience. Being polite in any situation will take you a long way, however if you’re visiting France for the first time, it’s necessary to know some basic French etiquettes to avoid any problem.

Here are some basic etiquettes in France:

When entering any shop in France, it’s customary to greet the shop keeper. It’s considered rude to pass them by. Greet them by saying ‘Bonjour!’ (Hello!) and then add Madame/Mademoiselle for females and Monsieur for men. Before leaving the shop, do not forget to say ‘Au revoir!’ (Good bye!).

For those travelers in need of assistance with direction, you can ask politely to passersby given that you start your request with a polite ‘pardon’ (excuse me) and finish it with ‘s’il vous plat’ (please). Remember to say ‘Merci!’ (Thank you!) afterwards.

Never place your cash in the cashier’s hand after purchasing something. This is a common act of foreign tourists. In France, you will need to place your payments in a small dish or rubber mat when paying at a counter. This guarantees that there is no error in the money being given or received.

The tips above are just simple guidelines on how to get around France easily. Remember that it’s best to be prepared especially if we’re visiting an unfamiliar territory. This will save you from any trouble during your vacation.